Dancer and burns survivor Abbie Quinnen issues warning on hacks

Dancer Abbie Quinnen has joined firefighters in warning young people against trying dangerous life hacks at home.

Her own experience at her Wimbledon home has sparked fears that the summer holidays could see an increase in the number of fires caused by people following online videos.

Abbie and her boyfriend, AJ Pritchard, were copying a ‘life hack’ video, setting fire to a rope dipped in a flammable solution to make a vase out of a wine glass.

But when they copied it, the flames rapidly spread out of control, setting fire to her hair and clothes – she suffered second and three-degree burns.

Abbie said: “I had just received some flowers and we had seen a video online which looked like a simple craft tutorial on how to make a vase.

“In lockdown, lots of people were filming themselves trying life hacks. The video looked so harmless, but it went very wrong.”

As soon as they lit the rope, the fire jumped over, and instantly her top and hair went up in flames.

Abbie spent the night in Intensive Care before spending five days at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital specialist burns unit. F

She continues to recover after three skin grafts – but is using her experience to warn others of just how dangerous it can be to copy life hack videos of a similar nature.

Firefighters are growing increasingly concerned that young people could be putting themselves at risk of serious injury by copying them.

A video posted on TikTok went viral last year after a woman shared her tips to cook a steak in a toaster. Even professional chefs shared videos of themselves trying it out.

Tiarna-Ann Pearce, a firefighter at Wimbledon Fire Station, said: “Life hacks can be handy, but it’s important to be aware of when they can be dangerous.

“There are lots of videos out there advising people to use appliances or other objects in ways other than for their intended use, like using toasters to cook meat.

Toasters need to be kept clean to prevent fires and are not designed to have fat dripping on to the electrics.

“Last year, firefighters attended 315 fires caused by people using equipment unsafely, which not only means people are putting themselves at risk, but also takes away our resources from other emergencies.

“If you see a video online that looks like it could put yourself or others in any danger, please don’t try it at home.

““It really worries me that this video is still out there for people to see and whilst I initially wanted to hide what had happened, it’s really important for me to speak out on this and raise awareness of just how real a risk this is.

“If anyone sees these types of videos online, don’t try them, especially if you’re alone.

Be careful and pause and think before copying them.

I had AJ and his bother Curtis there with me and I was lucky to have acted so quickly, but if there are young people who are thinking of trying this alone it could be a different story.”

Abbie has set up a petition campaigning for instructional videos that include a naked flame to come with a warning.

Abbie’s boyfriend AJ Pritchard said: “This video had around nine million views.

We didn’t think it would be so dangerous and we want to make sure that others don’t put themselves in the same situation.

If we had known how risky it was, or if there had been a warning, maybe we wouldn’t be in the position we’re in today.”